Fire-hydrant closure.



H. C. HERR.

FIRE HYDRANT CLOSURE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-24. 1915. RENEWED JUNE 14, 1916.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

INVENTOR. Hawk? 6 69/7 QA fin,

ATTORNEY.

HERBERT C. HERB, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

F'IBE-HYDRANI' CLOSURE.

Specification of Letterslatent.

Patented ()et. 24, 1916.

A Application filed August 24, 1915, Serial No. 47,165. Renewed June 14,1916. Serial No. 103,694.

7 b all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, HERBERT C. HERE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at 2 617 Birmingham avenue, Dallas, Dallas county,Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Hydrant Closures, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to new'and useful improvements in quickdetachable fire hydrant nipples, caps or closures.

A purpose of the invention is to provide such a device as willfacilitate firemen in the quick removal o'f t'h'e nipples from thehydrant prior to connecting up the hose.

A further purpose is toprovide a device as mentioned comprising aninternally screw threaded cap 'divided transversely into portions, saidportions hinged together and arranged to open and close in a lockedrelationship. I

With the above and other purposes in view, the invention has relation toa certain arrangement and combination of a minimum number of parts asdescribed in the following specification, pointed out in theappended'claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows the hydrant nipple in plan view. Fig. 2 shows said devicepivoted or opened out, the illustration being in sideelevation Fig. 3 isa plan View of the device, parts being removed and a portion brokenaway. Fig. 4 is a view of a certain swivel and cam member correlatedwith the inven tion. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of said swivel and cammember.

Referring now 111 particular to the drawings, the numerals l and 2designate two associated members pivoted or hinged one upon the other asshown by the numeral 3; said members when folded together form a nippleor cover cap for the protection of the threads on the fire hydrant orplugs which receives the hose connections. The device is screw-threadedfor a portion of the distance ing less than three hundred and sixtydegrees is formed in the outside of the plane surface of the assembleddevice; the said groove having about one-third of its circumferentiallength or embracing ninety degrees formed in one member, while theremaining portion of the groove is formed in the other member. A pin 7is integrally formed on one of the'members, and in this instance themember 1. A swivel member 8 with an integral wrench head 9 is providedand rotatably confined on the pin. An arcuate cam or flange 10 isintegrally formed on the underneath side of-the'swivel member. Said camextends about half of the circumference of the swivel member anddiminishesiin width from one extremity toward the other. The cam issimilar in proportion to the groove 6 and is adapted to be rotatablyconfined in said groove, said cam and groove having a common axis.

lVith the device open the swivel member will have been so adjusted fromthe head 9 with a wrench that the cam will lie within the groove in themember 1; when the device is closed upon the fire hydrant and the screwthreads have registered with the threads of the hydrant, a wrench willbe applied to' the head and. the cam swiveled about until it has passedinto the groove of the opposite member and becomes securely locked andwedged therein. The similar diminishing proportions of the cam andgroove insures an increasing tightness and locking security as ,the camis forcibly passed into the grdove. vIn unlocking and removing thedevice from the hydrant, the wrench will be applied and the cam forciblyswiveled back into the member 1 which frees the opposite member to open.

The use of this device saves much time in hose coupling operations. Alsoits use insures one that the interlocking threads of the nipple andhydrant will not become rusted together and cause injury to the fireplug hydrant threads in unscrewing the old type nipple from the hydrant.

. The invention is presented to include all such modifications andchanges as may properly come within the scope of the following claims.

Claims:

1. In a hydrant closure, the combination.

of a cam arranged to lock said portions in closed and positiverelationship. to each other.

2. In a hydrant closure, the combination of a screw-threaded membercomprising two associated halves or portions one pivoted to the other,of a groove formed in the plane wall of the member, and a flange adaptedto register with the groove and lock the said halves in a closed andpositive relation.

3. In a hydrant closure, the combination with a screw-threaded membercomprising two associated portions one pivoted to the other, a grooveformed in the two members, and a cam carried by one portion adapted toregister with thegroove and lock the said portions together.

4:. In a hydrant closure, the combination with a screw-threaded membercomprising two associated halves or portions one pivoted to the other,an arcuate groove formed in said members, said groove being formed of a1diminishing width, a swivel member, an

arcuate cam or flange formed on said swivel member andadapted to lockthe two said halves. v

5. In a hydrant closure, the combination with ascrew-threaded membercomprising "two associated portions one pivoted to the other, an arcuategroove formed in the member, said groove extending partially around thecircumference which it describes, a swivel member, an arcuate flangeformed on the swivelmember, said flange extending partially aroundthecircumference which it describes and confined within the groove andadapted to lock the members which comprise the closure.

6. In a hydrant closure, the combination with a cap internallyscrew-threaded and divided transversely into portions hinged togetherto. open and close as desired, an arcuate groove formed in the cap, aswivel member, an arcuate flange formed on the swivel member and adaptedto register with the groove and lock the portions, and a half diskmember formed on one of the portions and adapted to-pass into a boreformed in the opposite member thereby covering the seam which is formedby the said associated portions.

7. In a hydrant closure, the combination with a cap internallyscrew-threaded and divided transversely into portions hinged together,of an arcuate groove formed in the outer plane surface of the cap, of apin formed on one of the portions, a swivel member rotatably confined onsaid pin, an arcuate flange formed on the swivel member, said flange andsaid groove having a common axis, said groove and said flange havingtheir width and thickness gradually decreased from one extremity to theother, the flange rotatably confined in the groove and adapted to lockthe portions together.

8. In a hydrant closure, the combination with a cap internally screwthreaded and divided transversely into portions hinged together, meansprovided for lapping or breaking the joint or seam formed by contact ofsaid portions, and means for looking said portions in closedrelationship.

9. In a closure cap, the combination with a cap internallyscrew-threaded and divided transversely into portions hinged together,of a groove formed in one portion, and a movable flange associated withthe other portion adapted to pass into said groove.

10. In a closure cap, the combination with a cap internallyscrew-threaded and divided transversely into portions'hinged together,of a web or disk formed on one portion and adapted to lap or break thejoint or seam formed by the closed portions, a wrench head confined in amovable relation upon one portion, and locking elements in operativeconnection with the movable wrench head and adjacent portion.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

HERBERT C. HERB. Witnesses C. O. HAMLIN, I W. L. MOORE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 01 Patent.

Washington, D. 0.

